Party Chair: DNC Will 'Energize' SD Democrats

South Dakota delegates will be voting to give President Barack Obama the Democratic nomination for President later this week.

More than two dozen delegates from the state are headed to Charlotte, North Carolina for the first day of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.

"You're sprinting out of the stance so to speak and this is a way to get people excited, to get our message out there and to really fight hard for the next 64 days to make sure we win the elections," South Dakota Democratic Party Chairman Ben Nesselhuf said.

Nesselhuf will be in Charlotte this week along with 28 other South Dakota delegates who will all be throwing their support behind the President.

"Really it's just a time to go out, to get the base excited, to remind us why it is we do this, why the policies of the Democratic Party are good for the country and good for South Dakota," Nesselhuf said.

While the presidential race is the main focus of the week, Nesselhuf says a presidential election year, when there is a higher voter turnout, can be an opportunity for Democrats to make gains in other political offices in South Dakota.

"Any presidential election year more people turn out to vote and when more people turn out to vote more Democrats win. So, I think this week is going to serve the purpose of really energizing the base, making certain that they are reminded that this is an important election year and getting out the vote," Nesselhuf said.

And the election will only be 60 days away when President Obama finishes his acceptance speech on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention.

While the first two days of the convention will be inside an arena in Charlotte, President Obama will be making his acceptance speech this week outside at Charlotte's NFL stadium. He'll be speaking in front of nearly 74,000 delegates, voters and members of the public.